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Former George W. Bush adviser: North Korea is not going to give up its nuclear weapons

A former adviser to President George W. Bush said in a Sunday show interview that he does not believe North Korea will dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

“But in terms of the substance, the key issue is, are they going to give up their nuclear weapons?” Victor Cha, who served as the National Security Council’s director of Asian affairs during Bush’s second term, told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“And I think unfortunately the answer is no,” he added.

Cha, who now works for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said Pyongyang wants a peace treaty with the United States because it would legitimize North Korea as a state with nuclear weapons.

But Trump in recent days has said the meeting, which was expected to focus on Pyongyang’s nuclear program, could still happen.

“We are having very productive talks with North Korea about reinstating the Summit which, if it does happen, will likely remain in Singapore on the same date, June 12th., and, if necessary, will be extended beyond that date,” the president wrote on Twitter Friday.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who met with Kim again this weekend, said on Sunday that Kim is still dedicated both to the summit with Trump and to dismantling his state’s nuclear weapons program.